'Goblin Mode' Named Oxford's 2022 Word Of The Year

Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, has revealed that goblin mode is its Word of the Year for 2022. This is the first year that Oxford has allowed the public to vote for its Word of the Year and goblin mode won by 318,956 votes. Goblin mode is "a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy". The slang term first started appearing online in 2009 but gained popularity when COVID-19 restrictions began to ease around the world. The level of engagement the company received for its Word of the Year vote caught them “totally by surprise”. Given the year we've just experienced, 'goblin mode' resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point, Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages. Metaverse was the runner-up with 14, 484 votes, while #IStandWith received 8,639 votes.